FAYETTEVILLE — Revenge wasn’t just sweet for the Kinston girls, it also laid the groundwork for a possible state championship.

The Vikings avenged the loss that ended their season last year by stampeding Siler City Jordan-Matthews 56-37 in the 2A Eastern Regional finals at the Crown Arena on Saturday.

The victory sends Kinston (26-4) to the state title game for the first time in school history. The Vikings will battle perennial power Canton Pisgah, a 63-57 winner over Thomasville for the Western Regional title, this Saturday at noon at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill.

“We’re headed to Chapel Hill and that’s what matters,” Kinston coach Hubert Quinerly said. “I couldn’t be prouder of what this team and this coaching staff has accomplished. We have a lot to be proud of, but that doesn’t mean we’re satisfied. We still have unfinished business.”

The fact that the Vikings made it this far at the Jets’ expense made the journey even tastier.

The defending state champions blitzed Kinston 61-28 in the regional finals last year en route to an undefeated season. The rematch was a 180-degree turnaround.

“We’ve been looking forward to playing them again ever since last year,” Kinston senior Monique Lofton said. “They were the team we wanted to play, and the fact that we beat them to reach the state championship means so much.”

Lofton did her part in the victory, garnering a team-high 16 points, sparked by a torrid 3 of 7 showing from behind the 3-point line.